Training or cruelty

[Kalps]

I am trying to train my budgie some simple tricks and the place I chose to train her is the bathroom so that it’s easily reachable in case she flies. Also she won’t get distracted by other birds. Beginning she was learning but now she doesn’t want to go and I have to grab her to take in the bathroom for training. But I am feeling that she with the other birds have stopped coming to me. And they are scare of me. Should I stop the training because sometimes I feel that grabbing the bird every time is cruel.

 

[Mizzely]

Grabbing them can break trust, which makes training harder.

 

[Emma&pico]

Hi
Grabbing your bird isn’t going to get you anything apart from destroying the trust you build I think it was @Pixiebeak that said think of it as a saving putting coins in then something breaks you end up losing coins but it doesn’t mean you can’t add coins the next day

I know it’s hard to train multiple birds together but it’s not impossible

I have a rope perch outside all my cages and that’s they training spot the know that at first I tap that perch if they come I give millet sunflower seed nurtiberry etc (whatever your birds favourite treat is ) save it for only for you they only get it from you once the get used to coming to perch for a treat you can start adding in tricks like turn around flip shake wave etc to teach tricks you have to have the trust though
You can also work on recall first getting them to fly to you or to fly to a perch etc you can’t force training either they have to be willing and keep it short end on a positive

 

[Kalps]

T

Hi
Grabbing your bird isn’t going to get you anything apart from destroying the trust you build I think it was @Pixiebeak that said think of it as a saving putting coins in then something breaks you end up losing coins but it doesn’t mean you can’t add coins the next day

I know it’s hard to train multiple birds together but it’s not impossible

I have a rope perch outside all my cages and that’s they training spot the know that at first I tap that perch if they come I give millet sunflower seed nurtiberry etc (whatever your birds favourite treat is ) save it for only for you they only get it from you once the get used to coming to perch for a treat you can start adding in tricks like turn around flip shake wave etc to teach tricks you have to have the trust though
You can also work on recall first getting them to fly to you or to fly to a perch etc you can’t force training either they have to be willing and keep it short end on a positive

Hi. The problem is whenever they will come outside they will fly up on curtain rod where it’s difficult for me to catch them. So I started doing in bathroom with the safety. Now I am doing only with two birds.

 

[Shezbug]

If you have to "catch" your birds then regardless of what room you take them to you will not be training them to do anything other than distrust you more and more each time they are taken to another room to be caught.

You really need to work on your birds being ok with you and not seeing you as a threat before you try to train anything else- this can be done without moving them anywhere which means you do not need to catch them. Work on them getting comfortable and accepting of you from the other side of the cage bars.

 

[flocknroll]

It sounds like you'll need to start your training inside the cage before you can move forward with anything outside. Will they take a treat from your hand? With one of my budgies, I would leave some millet in the cage for him to eat and discover that it was an absolutely delicious little snack prize.
Once he recognised and understood that millet was the ultimate treat (in his mind ) I would hold the millet out for him to take. He was still a little afraid of my hand but with patience, the internal battle of hand vs millet was overcome with millet being the winner, so each time he'd come near and have a nibble, I'd click my clicker and then he'd associate click with millet. I'd keep doing then until he felt safe enough that the hand wasn't evil and would hold one hand in front of my hand that held the millet so he had to step up to get the millet.

It was just little steps, building trust and progressing at his pace. As others have said, grabbing your budgie will break any trust and it can be difficult to gain it again. However, they're smart little parrots and all of my budgies have learnt quickly even with different levels of fear and trust. It'll feel so great once you've built a good bond

 

[AussieBird]

If she doesn't want to go she shouldn't have too. I used to do a similar thing but it was only for flight time. My older budgie was the only one comfortable with me carrying him in my hands to and from the one bird safe room, the other couldn't come because I couldn't constantly move their flight cage back and forth. I stopped taking him in there because as soon as we got there he'd immediately ask to go back.
They're flock animals. They want to be with and feel most comfortable with their friends. Forcefully catching and forcing them to do something will likely do the opposite of what you want to achieve.

 

[Kalps]

It sounds like you'll need to start your training inside the cage before you can move forward with anything outside. Will they take a treat from your hand? With one of my budgies, I would leave some millet in the cage for him to eat and discover that it was an absolutely delicious little snack prize.
Once he recognised and understood that millet was the ultimate treat (in his mind ) I would hold the millet out for him to take. He was still a little afraid of my hand but with patience, the internal battle of hand vs millet was overcome with millet being the winner, so each time he'd come near and have a nibble, I'd click my clicker and then he'd associate click with millet. I'd keep doing then until he felt safe enough that the hand wasn't evil and would hold one hand in front of my hand that held the millet so he had to step up to get the millet.

It was just little steps, building trust and progressing at his pace. As others have said, grabbing your budgie will break any trust and it can be difficult to gain it again. However, they're smart little parrots and all of my budgies have learnt quickly even with different levels of fear and trust. It'll feel so great once you've built a good bond

They are coming to my hand even without millet. I have 11 of them. So when I do training inside the cage and give millets all will come and end up fighting for the millet. So not possible to train them inside for anything. Yes I have trained my 2 birds moving upside down, turn around, shake hand, wave, kissing. Now I was trying to teach something else. But she doesn’t want to come with me. I know grabbing is not good as it breaks the trust. That’s why I am in dilemma whether I should continue the training or leave them as they are. Believe me I tried many times to train in front of the cage but she will either fly up on the curtains rod or go backside of the cage.

 

[flocknroll]

They are coming to my hand even without millet. I have 11 of them. So when I do training inside the cage and give millets all will come and end up fighting for the millet. So not possible to train them inside for anything. Yes I have trained my 2 birds moving upside down, turn around, shake hand, wave, kissing. Now I was trying to teach something else. But she doesn’t want to come with me. I know grabbing is not good as it breaks the trust. That’s why I am in dilemma whether I should continue the training or leave them as they are. Believe me I tried many times to train in front of the cage but she will either fly up on the curtains rod or go backside of the cage.

If they'll all already happily eat millet from your hand, that's great! It sounds like now you have to work that into an actual training exercise. It would be difficult if they're all housed together. Could you maybe pop one or 2 into a separate cage and work with them for a while to establish some training routine within the cage and then follow on with the others?

 

[Emma&pico]

I am not saying you can’t train a budgie my budgie Henry could turn around flip but I will say he it took a while they are very excited high energy birds and training sessions with him had to be a quick 2/3min always finishing on a good note

do they have a perch on outside of cage I’ve found a rope perches better sit by that perch with millet tap the perch say treat if they come down to perch reward start like that until they are settled to come when called then I’ve found turn around isn’t to learn first hold millet under perch a turn it slowly so they have to follow it once full circle done reward